Before I get into anything, just take a look at my little scenario below:

You’ve found the dress for a girls night out, or so you think.

You’ve seen it on a mannequin at the front of the store and instantly make a beeline for the dress on the rack, a bejewelled necklace hanging decoratively over the hanger only lures you in further.

You, and your new love, march on over to the fitting room ‘Just the one please’ you say boldly. This dress is the one, you think to yourself smugly.

You step into the brightly lit cubicle ready to try on the one.

Pulling it over your head, you begin to frown, this feels a little snug already…it’s just the fit you decide dismissively, squeezing your arms through the holes.

You pull down the dress and zip up the sides and turning to see yourself from all angles you begin to pout with disappointment and a little self loathing.

How can it fit half of my body so perfectly and look so disgustingly wrong on the other half?

Okay, now hands up all you girls (and guys) who have experienced dressing room self loathing?

Yep, me too!

Now how can we avoid this happening again?

1 – Finding what does (and doesn’t) suit youIt’ll be worse before it gets better, but trust me, the key is to try on lots of styles- how will you know what suits you if you always go for that same style of low rise jean, what if a higher waist looks amazing on you and you just haven’t realised it?

2- Size doesn’t matterBe sure to take a selection of sizes per item to try as well- I know it is difficult to separate yourself from the stigma of what size you are, but seriously, if a size 12 looks good why wouldn’t you buy it? I’ve heard so many people with the attitude of ‘ I am not going up a size’- for starters sizes fluctuate massively across brands, and this is enough of a reason not to worry too much whether you go ‘up’ a size or not, because chances are, you probably haven’t.

3- Not all trends are your friend

An online magazine tells you that you need to buy into the comeback trend of 70’s style flares. Great for some, but not necessarily great for you- but you’ll never know until you at least try them 🙂 Experimentation with trends is great, just learn which ones are your friends, and which ones aren’t, and the same goes for colours and prints too.

4- Stick to what you know

Yes, experiment all you like and add to your collection of what suits you- but don’t be afraid to have items in similar shapes and colours if you look and feel great in them! Just remember to always dress for yourself and nobody else- don’t buy into a certain trend if you feel rubbish in it- go with what you know and how you feel in yourself 🙂

I don’t think there will ever be an Elie Saab collection that I won’t be entirely captivated by, whether it be Couture or Ready-to-Wear. Every single show is full of beautiful, intricate detailing, and it is refreshing to see that the designer focuses on what he does best every season, rather than being too trend focussed.

Their AW14/15 Couture show may be arguably everything you’d expect from Elie Saab, but it nevertheless impresses me every single time. The show was obviously full of fairytale inspired gowns that consisted of light, sheer materials, silk and tulle, the majority of which was beautifully encrusted with pearls and crystals and somewhat inspired by the mystery of the ocean (seen in the lace black gowns and pearl encrusted deep bluedresses) and even an enchanted forest (in one instance a moss green was offset against colourful crystals and pearls). Whilst keeping to his usual pretty, romantic roots the designer used a rainbow of colours in his tone-on-tone approach to his underlays and embellishments to create a soft, natural and feminine collection.

And of course, the latest show cannot be spoken about without the mention of the beautiful finale wedding gown, although so many of the white, silver and cream gowns displayed were enough for any bride-to-be- or any woman for that matter- to swoon over!

You can view the full pictures from the show here or watch it in full here !

As a contrast to their AW13 show, which saw lots of powder pink hues, Topshop Unique’s most recent show had a more tomboy edge. Opening the show came all blue looks, with smart woolen coats casually hanging off the shoulders of models for a disheveled, tomboy charm, which was only highlighted by the occasional appearance of sports inspired puffa jackets. Whilst a feminine element could be seen through the light, soft materials, pastel pink was no more in this new collection, but instead a new pastel colour emerged in the form of lemon yellow. This pretty, bright shade added a youthful, playful edge to the collection, with silky blouses and fluffy yellow furs, but when mixed with tan and darker shades of yellow the look made for a classic, but playful, approach to dressing. And, of course the show didn’t come without major trends that have been spotted throughout fashion week, including knee high boots (in grey and burgundy) as well as patchwork fur, that was seen in sweaters, coats and vests. I loved the femininity in their AW13 show, but this collection has been really clever in showcasing what their youthful, edgy customer wants- a chance to dress in a subtle, but sexy way, without losing their tomboy charm.

It seems a mix of traditional and modern prints was the inspiration behind Preen’s most recent show in London this week. We saw Moroccan tiles digitally printed onto coats, dresses and skirts in either bright orange hues or in charcoal grey, but the modern twist came in the form of Darth Vader being printed on top of these traditional Moroccan tiles. Despite how odd this sounds, it actually seems to make sense- we’ve seen sweatshirts with all kinds of motifs and logos, and Preen have obviously taken this concept a step further by printing a sci-fi inspired logo on light, airy materials.

As if Darth Vader didn’t give enough of an edge already, there was a mix of both feminine and masculine elements. Inspired by Annie Hall, there were tailored suits and faint pinstripes, giving an androgynous feel to the collection, but this was softened by the feminine shapes of the skirts, dresses and blouses. Despite the use of black and white in the more tailored parts of the collection, the star of the show has to be the use of fiery hues in creating bold cashmere coats, fluffy oversized sweatshirts, a gorgeous velvet dress and, of course, the Moroccan tile print. The great part about this whole collection is that it is so wearable- we could buy a lot of it now and wear it now- especially those fur trimmed, shiny khaki parka coats and black knee high boots (a huge trend across fashion week so far).

At his most recent show Ralph Lauren lived up to expectations with a beautiful, soft and ultra feminine collection that showcased pretty, romantic hues of creams, greys, pinks and lilacs. We’ve seen a lot of masculine silhouettes during NYFW, but not at Ralph Lauren, where shapes were kept simple, soft and classic for all occasions. For evening wear the collection gave a lovely sense of old Hollywood glamour (think soft furs mixed with silk and heavily embellished dresses) whilst the more casual side of the show gave us cosy knits, slouchy silk trousers and soft capes (most of which styled head to toe in one soft hue). It is also interesting the contrasting footwear that was on the runway-we saw converse style sneakers, pointed court shoes and thigh high grey suede boots, all showing how much versatility the brand still has whilst still remaining classic and feminine!

At Victoria’s Beckham’s most recent NYFW show we saw the designer had finally moved away from her signature dresses, instead showing a more masculine collection that is now being compared to the likes of Celine. Fluid lines are a sharp contrast to her previous ‘body-con’ structures, and whilst masculine shapes are present in the form of over-sized cashmere coats, tailored silk trousers and gold chain detailing, the designer softened her collection by adding dramatic ruffles on fitted chiffon blouses and delicate pleating on the backs of coats and the hemlines of both dresses and skirts. The monochromatic theme only added to the simplicity of the collection, although a rare abstract print (another surprise element from Victoria) and a few pops of red brightened the designs, somewhat.

It is unlike Altuzarra to create such a vibrant, colourful collection, but during his show at NYFW yesterday the designer contrasted bright pops of cobalt blue, fuschia pink and orange against his usual, more classic shades, of black, grey, white and cream. The double faced cashmere coats were stand out pieces, with contrasting shades of navy and cobalt blue, as well as the brightly coloured patchwork fur coat, which added a whole new youthful edge to the, usually more formal, collection. Altuzarra usually gives us sophisticated, but sexy, runway looks, which is why it came as a refreshing surprise to see the soft fringe detailing that adorned many of his dresses, skirts and tops in various colourful combinations. As the designer’s most colourful collection to date, it is questionable why he hasn’t been more experimental until now, but it is for certain that his more colourful hues are bound to attract a more youthful customer.

It was only last year that designer Calla Haynes first showed her collection during NYFW, and yesterday the designer was back again to show off yet another vibrant collection. Haynes is known for her strong print designs, which is why it came as no surprise to see a collection full of bold clashing prints, a nod towards ‘relaxed luxury’, as the designer herself describes her collection. The designer has managed to create a modern twist on ‘easy to wear’ fashion, by mixing quirky prints with more classic ones, like plaid and bright florals, which has led to a youthful, yet luxurious, collection.

Kate Spade never disappoints when it comes to creating bold, youthful collections, and their AW collection, which was showcased during the second day of NYFW, was of no exception. This time the story behind the collection comes from the creative director’s recent trips to both Shanghai and Tokyo, which is clearly demonstrated by the designer’s use of obi bows, silky pajama pants and, of course, that ‘Hello Tokyo’ clutch bag. In this collection, rich colours are reminiscent of the vibrant South East Asian culture, especially when they are mixed with lots of textures, quirky accessories (that Chinese take out handbag) and bold prints (think bright florals and leopard spots). As usual, the Kate Spade New York collection has provided everything it promises to it’s loyal fashion followers; its playful, its bold and brings a youthful glow to the otherwise dull AW months. And what does the creative director have to say about the more subdued colours in the collection? ‘Navy is the new black’ (for a more classy Kate Spade look) and ‘Pale pink is the new neutral’ (For a softer, feminine edge contrasted against those brilliant vibrant hues).